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Ask A Bear: Can You Smell My Marijuana?
Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'
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Tags:
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- Wildlife |
- Ask A Bear |
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Q: Living in a medical marijuana state and being an avid backpacker leaves me in a quandary. Do you like the smell of my medicine, or is it natural enough to not pique your fancy? —RTH, via emailA: Is it a coincidence that 14 of the 16 states that allow medical marijuana have swaths of bear country? Why did Jerry Garcia and Co. choose an image of me dancing to promote the dead on t-shirts and bumper stickers everywhere? Alls I'm sayin' is I'm sensing a connection, here, man...
All right, back to the real, bro. Though there aren't very many case studies establishing my attraction to cannabis, it's probably fair to say that I could be attracted to the smell of your wacky tobacky. While you are right that it exists in my natural environment, many strains of dried and processed pot often possess an even stronger, more intense fragrance than the variety growing in the wild. If I can smell a dollop of toothpaste in your bag or leftover chocolate on a wrapper, I can most certainly detect a whiff of your super-odoriferous Afghan Kush.
While we're not certain that the smell serves as an attractant, don't take the chance: Stow it with all your food items at night in a canister or bear bag, and try to opt for a wake-and-bake over hotboxing overnight in the tent.
—BEAR
Got a question for the bear? Send it to askabear@backpacker.com.
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Smoking dope, boozing, drugging... all relly dumb things to be doing out in the woods.
Keep it up, prove Darwin was right.
Hello ANONYMOUS, there are many legitimate medical conditions which still allow you to hike. Chronic pain, asthma, arthritis, etc. Educate yourself before you open your ignorant mouth. I'm also curious, are you opposed to consuming drugs which unlike marijuana are actually dangerous to your health, highly addictive, and in the widely available form have very few medical purposes (i.e. alcohol) while backpacking?
I am medicinal marijuana patient (who suffers from panic attacks and insomnia for those of you closed minded folk) in one of those 14 -16 states and I frequently backpack. I use the odor proof bags to seal the medicine and store them regularly with my food in bear proof containers with no problems. I would also suggest medicating in open clearings just to know if there are any furry friends close by. Happy hiking to all!
Hummm, in need of medical Marijuana, but somehow healthy enough to hike. Keep smoking then maybe you'll really need it!
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